Fabric



E. J. COGOVAN Dec. 21, 1948.

FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR (Zmm 61 mm. BY

P [imam ATTORNEYS Q Q s Filed March 21, 1946 Dec. 21, 1948. E. J.COGOVAN FABRIC Filed March 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Patented Dec. 21,1948 FABRIC Edward J. Cogovan, Amsterdam, N. Y., assignor to MohawkCarpet Mills, Inc.-, Amsterdam, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication March 21, 1946, Serial No. 856,102 9 Claims. (01. 154-45.

1 This invention relates tofabrics suitable for use as floor and wallcoverings and for similar purposes and is concerned more particularlywith a novel fabric which is attractive in appearance,

I of extraordinary resistance to wear, and capable of being manufacturedrapidly, with little equipment, and at low cost. Because of its greatdurability, the new fabric may be advantageously employed to carpetheavy traffic areas, such as halls, aisles, entries, etc., and it is ahighly satisfactory covering for the floors and the lower portions ofthe doors of automobiles. Its low cost also permits its use for a widevariety of purposes, for which a protective or sound deadening coveringis required, as, for example, as a carpeting for the floor and a liningfor the Walls of the luggage compartment of an automobile, as a coveringfor the walls and ceilings of rooms, etc.

The new fabric is of the laminated type and it includes a backing sheet,which may be of paper, felt, etc., but is preferably made of fibroustextile material, such as burlap, and a layer of yarns affixed to oneface of the sheet in parallel contacting relation by adhesive. The yarnsemployed may be made of fibres of different kinds and may include any ofthe usual textile fibres, natural or synthetic, or a mixture thereof,but I prefer to use a yarn having a substantial proportion of woolfibres, because of both the wearing qualities and appearance of yarnsmade of such fibres.

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to make laminatedfabrics by amxing a layer of yarns in parallel relation to one surfaceof a backing sheet and it is evident to any one familiar with theproduction of fabrics in general that it should be possible to make suchfabrics at low cost, since the .operations involved require littleequipment and are not comparable in cost with those employed inproducing woven materials. However, despite their apparent advantagesfor many purposes, such laminated fabrics have not heretofore come intowide use, at least for floor coverings, so far as I am informed, and Ibelieve that the reason is that the proposed fabrics have not had thedesired durability.

In producing a laminated fabric for use as carpet, it would seem obviousthat its durability would depend on the use for the exposed surface ofyarns of good wearing qualities and that the best yarns for the purposewould be tightly twisted wool yarns of appropriate size. It has beenproposed to give such laminated fabrics a surface appearance simulatingthat of woven goods by transversely indenting the surface yarns at aclose spacing and it would appear that, for this purpose, the yarnsshould be bound to the backing sheet by a layer ofadhesive ofsubstantial thickness, so that the yarns could be forced into the layerat the desired intervals.

I have found,. however, that, contrary to expectation, the use oftightly twisted yarns or cords. that would be necessary for theproduction of woven fabrics of good durability, is undesirable in suchlaminated fabrics, for the following reasons. If a thin film of adhesiveis applied to the backing and the tightly twisted yarns are pressedagainst the film, the yarns will not be securely bound in place, becauseeach yarn will make contact with the film over only a narrow area andthe adhesive cannot penetrate among the tightly twisted fibres. If theadhesive layer is of substantial thickness and the yarns are embedded init, again there is little penetration of the adhesive and the yarns willbe scuffed free of the adhesive in a relatively short time by the actionof the rubber heels now commonly worn.

In the new fabric, I overcome the diiiiculties above pointed out in thefollowing way. I employ for the wear surface of the laminated fabric alayer of heavy loosely twisted readily distortable yarns, preferablyplied yarns, and I ailix these yarns by means of a thin film ofadhesive. The yarns are laid side by side and in lateral contact withone another on the film and are then subiected to the repeatedapplication of pri'zssure over a large area of the yarn layer. Thepressure is sufficient to distort and flatten the yarns and force theminto lateral contact over greater areas, so that each yarn is in contactwith the film over an area extending throughout the length of the yarnand of a width equal to at least half the width of the yarn and is incontact with the yarns on either side thereof over areas of similarwidth. By reason of the distortion and compacting of the yarns as abovedescribed, each yarn has a wide area of adhesion to the backing and,since the yarn is loosely twisted, the adhesive can penetrate among thefibres in the yarn adjacent to the surface of the backing sheet andobtain a good grip on the yarn. In addition, the forcing of the yarnsagainst one another. so that they make contact over wide lateral areaswith one another, causes the yarns to provide mutual support for oneanother, so that they resist displacement by scufllng action.

While a laminated fabric as above described is suitable for manypurposes, it can be substantially improved in wearing qualities byincorporating in the surface yarns means for binding a together thefibres thereof. For this purpose, I prefer to make the yarns of fibres,which are not potentially adhesive, as, for example, wool, cotton, Jute,,or mixtures of such fibres, and to incorporate in the yarns a materialwhich is capable of being rendered adhesive Y and is distributedthroughout each yarn. The adhesive material may most conveniently beemployed in the form of fibres, which are blended with the other fibresto make up the yarn, after which the mixture is spun in the usual way.Various kinds of potentially adhesive fibres may be employed for thepurpose, as, for example, fibres of plasticized cellulose acetate and ofsynthetic resins, such as polystyrene, vinyl copolymers, etc. Suchpotentially adhesive material may be one that can be rendered adhesiveby means of a solvent, but I prefer to employ a material that may berendered tacky by heating. The material is employed in the yarn ininsufilcient amount to change the appearance of the yarn, and, whenpotentially adhesive fibres are used, they are present in an amount ofthe order of 25%.

When the surface yarns of the new fabric include a material that .may berendered adhesive by heat, it is possible to obtain embossed andindented effects by means of a heated roll or plate, which both producesthe desired effects and also causes the material to be tacky. In suchembossing or indenting operations, the fibres in the yarns are displacedfrom their original positions and they then become bound in their newpositions, when the adhesive material sets. The result is that theembossed or indented effects are much more permanent in character thanthose produced by embossing or indenting yarns embedded in a thick layerof adhesive.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made tothe accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspectiveview showing the method of producing the fabric of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view fabric;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of the new fabric;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectionalview, on an enlarged scale, of abacking sheet which may be employed in the fabric;-

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of thefabric;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the indentingoperation; and

of one form of the new Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views on the lines8-8 and 9--9, respectively, of Fig. 7.

The fabric of the invention includes a backing sheet i0, which may bemade of paper, felt, etc., but is preferably a plain woven fabric.Burlap of the type used for bagging is suitable for the purpose andanother fabric that is satisfactory, is one loosely woven of heavycotton yarns, such as one plied of three strands of .70's count, thefabric being subsequently calendered to flatten the yarns and close theinterstices between them. If desired, the sheet may be similar inconstruction to the back or body portion of certain pile fabrics, inwhich jute and paper yarns are employed. The choice of the material usedfor the backing sheet will depend on the desired weight of the finalproduct and also on the purpose for which the product is to be employedand the conditions under which it will be used.

The backing sheet has a layer of yams H amxed adhesively to one facethereof, the yarns lying side by side in closely contacting relationthroughout their lengths and wholly concealing the sheet. The yarn usedfor the purpose is heavy, loosely twisted, and readily distortable andit is preferably plied of a number of strands and has a weight from 10to 45 yards to the ounce. The yarn may be made of various fibres, suchas wool, cotton, Jute, and synthetic fibres, or combinations of suchfibres in varying proportions. For a fabric of good wearing qualities,the yarn used may be about 50% wool with the remainder made up of otherfibres mentioned. Preferably,

the yarn includes a proportion of the order of 25% of fibres that arepotentially adhesive and examples of such fibres have been given above.The yarn is dyed the desired color before incorporation in the fabricand desirable color effects may be obtained by dyeing the strands to beplied together to make the yarn in different colors.

In the production of the fabric, the backing sheet i0 is drawn from asupply roll l2 and passes around a guide roller l3 and then to a stationwhere the adhesive coating I4 is applied to one face. The adhesivepreferred is of the type known commercially as pressure sensitive," thatis, one that sets quickly upon application of pressure, and it mayinclude natural or synthetic latex or ethyl cellulose, for example,together with other ingredients. The adhesive may be applied to thebacking sheet in various ways, as, for, example, by spraying, but Iprefer to maintain a pool 15 of adhesive on the surface of the sheetbetween edge guides l6 and limit the thicknessof the film of adhesiveapplied by means of an adjustable doctor blade 11. In practice, thedoctor blade is set very close to the surface of the sheet, so that thefilm of adhesive is about as thick as a coat of paint. In passingbeneath the pool of adhesive, the backing sheet, if it is of the rightkind, will take up adhesive, and, when burlap is used for the sheet, theburlap is likely to be thoroughly impregnated.

The yarns II to be aflixed to the sheet are drawn from a suitablesupply, which may be a beam, on which the yarns have been wound, or aplurality of spools or other packages mounted in a creel. The yarns fromthe supply pass around a guide roller I8 and thence through a comb orreed l9, which keeps the individual yarns parallel and prevents theircrossing. Beyond the reed, the yams pass around a guide roller 20, andthence beneath a light floating roller 2|, which is formed withcircumferential corrugations of V-shape for receiving the individualyarns. The

corrugations are of such shape and arrangement that the yarns seated inthem lie in lateral contact. The roller 2| lays the yarns lightly on theadhesive film on the sheet but is not heavy enough to distort the yarnsto any substantial extent or to cause them to be firmly seized by theadhesive.

Beyond the roller 2|, the backing sheet with the yarns in place thereonand lying in lateral contact is acted on by means for insuring that theyarns will be tightly aifixed to the sheet. In the apparatusillustrated, such means take the form of a table 23 supporting the sheetfrom beneath and a pressing plate 24, which is at least as wide as thesheet and is of substantial length, for example, 6 feet. The plate ismounted on rods 25 attached to straps 26 encircling eccentric discs 21on a driven shaft 28 and the rods are guided for vertical movement inguides 29 mounted on a cross-bar 30 of a suitable supporting structure(not shown). The plate 24 is reciprocated vertically, when shaft 28 isdriven, and the adjustments of the parts are such that the plateflattens the yarns by repeatedly pressing or patting them, as the sheettravels along. Initially, the yarns are of substantially circularcross-section but, as a result of the action of the plate, the yarnsassume the shape-indicated at Ila (Fig; 6). Each flattened yarn I iamakes contact with the backing sheet over an area 3| on its undersurface, which" is equal in width to at least half the diameter of theyarn, and the yarn makes contact laterally with adjacent yarns overareas 32, the width of which is equal to at least half the yarndiameter.

During the repeated action of the plate 24 on the yarns, the yarnsgradually assume their flattened compacted condition and, while theyarns lying in contact with the adhesive are approaching the plate 24and in the initial stages of the action of the plate, the adhesivepenetrates the fibres of the yarns. When the yarns pass from beneath theplate, the adhesive has a firm grin on the yarns over areas ofsubstantial width,

which extend the entire lengths of the yarns, and

the fabric may be passed over a driven spike roll 33, which pulls itthrough the apparatus, and then wound into rolls and left to stand untilthe adhesive has fully set. However, when the yarns employed includepotentially adhesive material, the fabric is given further treatments asfollows.

Beyond the spike roll 33, the fabric passes around a guide roll 34 andthence beneath a heavy floating roll 35, which presses the fabricagainst a roll 38 in fixed bearings. The roll 35 is heated, as. forexample, by steam, to a temperature suflicient to insure that, as thefabric passes between rolls 35 and 36, the potentially adhesive fibresin the yarn will become tacky and will firmly adhere to adjacent fibres.The weight of the roll 35 is such that the yarns are further flattenedagainst the backing sheet and forced against one another, until theyassume a substantially square cross-section as indicated at llb (Fig.8). In such flattening of the yarns, their areas in contact with thebacking sheet are increased, until substantially their entire bottomsides are afllxed to the sheet. The fibres in the yarns are forced intointimate contact by the pressure and the fibres are then held in suchcondition by the setting of the bonding fibres within the yarns.

If desired, the roll 35 may have means on its surface for embossing orindenting the yarns II to produce various surface effects and the rollillustrated is formed with thin longitudinal flutes 31. As the fabricpasses beneath such a fluted roll, the flutes form indentations 38 inthe yarns, so that the finished fabric has lines acrossits surfacesomewhat resembling the lines between rows of tufts in the surface of apile fabric. Since the yarns are not tightly twisted, the fibres thereincan be displaced to provide the indentations and the fibres are thenbound in place in their new positions by the bonding fibres within theyarns.

The fabric passing from rolls 35, 38 is wound into rolls 39, which arethen stored until the adhesive binding the yarns to the backing sheethas fully set. Such storage or ageing time varies with the adhesive butis relatively short.

The new fabric can be made rapidly, as, for

- example, 30 or 40 yards per minute, and, as the yarns and backingsheet are relatively inexpensive and little equipment and labor arerequired, the cost of the product is very low. At the same surfaces onopposite sides extending lengthwise of the yarns and of a width equal atleast to half the width of the yarns, the yarns lying side by side withthe flattened surfaceof each yarn lying in contact with like flattenedsurfaces of adjacent yarns, said yarns also having flattened'surfaces ofsubstantial width extending the full length of the yarns and lying inthe plane of said film of adhesive and affixed to the sheet therebyalong the entire length of the yarns, said film of adhesive forming thesole means for securing the yarns to said backing sheet, each yarnincluding a major proportion of fibres which are not potentiallyadhesive and a minor proportion of material distributed throughout itand binding the fibres which are not potentially adhesive.

2. A fabric which comprises a backing sheet, a. thin film of adhesive onone surface of the sheet, and a plurality of loosely-twisted heavy yarnson the sheet, said yarns having flattened surfaces on opposite sidesextending lengthwise of the yarns and of a width equal at least to halfthe width of the yarns, the yarns lying side by side with the flattenedsurfaces of each yarn lying in contact with like flattened surfaces ofadjacent yarns, saidyarns also having flattened surfaces of substantialwidth extending the full length of the yarns and lying in the.plane ofsaid film of adhesive and amxed to the sheet thereby along the entirelength of the yarns, said film of adhesive forming the sole means forsecuring the yams to said backing sheet, each yarn including a majorproportion of fibres which are not potentially adhesive and a less butsubstantial proportion of other fibres distributed throughout the yarnand adhering to and binding together the fibres which are notpotentially adhesive.

3. A fabric as set forth in claim 1 in which the flattened surfaces atopposite sides of the yarns are at least half the width of the yarns.

4. A fabric as set forth in claim 1 in which the yarns are substantiallysquare in cross-section.

5. A fabric which comprises a backing sheet, a thin film of adhesive onone surface of the sheet, and a plurality of loosely-twisted heavy yarnson the sheet, said yarns having flattened surfaces on opposite sidesextending lengthwise of the yarns and of a width equal at least to halfthe width of the yarns, the yarns lying side by side with the flattenedsurfaces of each yarn lying in contact with like flattened surfaces ofadjacent yarns, said yarns also having flattened surfaces of substantialwidth extending the full length of the yarns and lying in the plane ofsaid film of adhesive and affixed to the sheet thereby along the entirelength of the yarns, said film of adhesive forming the sole means forsecuring the yarns to said backing sheet, each yarn including a majorproportion of fibres which are not potentially adhesive and a minorproport-ion of material distributed throughout it and binding the fibreswhich are not potentially adhesive, the fibres of the yarns beingdistorted to form indentations in the yarns and the fibres of theseveral yarns being set in their indented condition by the adhesivematerial which is distributed throughout the yarns.

6. A fabric as set forthin claim 5 in which the indentations extendcontinuously across the group of yarns.

7. A fabric which comprises a backing sheet, a thin film of adhesive onone surface of the sheet, and a plurality of loosely-twisted heavy yarnson the sheet, said yarns having flattened surfaces on opposite sidesextending lengthwise of the yarns and of a width equal at least to halfthe width of the yarns, the yarns lying side by side with the flattenedsurfaces of each yarn lying in contact with like flattened surfaces ofadjacent yarns, said yarns also having flattened surfaces of substantialWidth extending the full length of the yarns and lying in the plane 'ofsaid film of adhesive and afllxed to the sheet thereby along the entirelength of the yarns, said film of adhesive forming the sole means forsecuring the yarns to said backing sheet, each yarn including a majorproportion of flbres' which are not potentially adhesive and a less butsubstantial proportion of fibres which are poto the fibres which are notpotentially adhesive.

flattened surfaces of adjacent yarns, said yarns also having flattenedsurfaces of substantial width extending the full length of the yarns andlying in the plane of said film of adhesive and aflixed to the sheetthereby along the entire length of the yarns, said film of adhesiveforming the sole means for securing the yarns to said backing sheet.

9. A fabric as set forth in claim 8 in which the yarns are substantiallysquare in cross-section.

EDWARD J. COGOVAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name i Date 298,757 Johns May 20, 1884.302,204 Jones et a1. July 15, 1884 1,657,829 Hopson Jan. 31, 19281,660,924 Hopklnson Feb. 28, 1928 2,202,013 Lougheed May 28, 19402,313,058 Francis Mar. 9, 1943

